Container brush and the like



y 19, 1953 c. DOERING 2,638,617

CONTAINER BRUSH AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. I CHARLES DERING.

BY 3f 1 ATTORNEY.

y'- 19} 1-953 c; 005mm; 2,638,617

CONTAINER BRUSH AND THE LIKE INVENTOR.

CHARLES DOERING.

BY Q 44 '3 m7 AT'EORNE.

Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER BRUSH AND THE LIKE Charles Doering, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 12, 1945, Serial No. 634,438

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to cleaning brushes and more particularly to power operated brushes for cleansing containers and the like, although the teachings thereof may be employed with equal advantage for other purposes.

It contemplates more especially the provision of an improved power brush of simplified, less expensive, and more effective construction than brushes heretofore employed for cleansing containers and other devices.

Brushes have, for the most part, been produced from bristles either of the hair or fibrous or even wood derivatives. These involve hundreds of elongated bristles which have to be assembled with care and such uniformity as to define an expansive surface for cleansing operations such as illustrated in U. S. Letters Patents 1,149,813 and 1,960,530 wherein the bristletype of power brushes are utilized for can washing. Brushes of this construction are exceedingly expensive to produce, and their wearing qualities are not altogether satisfactory.

Then, too, much difficulty has been encountered in procuring raw materials of the type that enabled the construction of bristle brushes defining expansive surfaces for power operation. This difficulty is accentuated by the great expensive construction which entails skilled labor and manual operations for the most part. The wearing qualities of bristle-type brushes has not been unusual and bristles do not lend themselves to satisfactory replacement. In the end, bristle-type brushes when worn beyond satisfactory use, are usually replaced with new brushes of like construction. This replacement involves appreciable expense.

This appreciable expense and rather limited wearing qualities of bristle-type brushes has been largely overcome with the teachings of the present invention eliminating the use of bristles. Bristle brushes have limited wearing qualities and do not lend themselves to inexpensive rejuvenation without total replacement. The abrasive elements are of soft, smooth and long-wearing material which can be readily replaced without entailing any appreciable labor, time, or expense.

One object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and improve the operation of the devices of the character mentioned.

Another object is to provide an improved power brush construction which eliminates the use of bristles as the abrasive or friction cleaning expedient.

Still another object is to provide a power brush having a frame with readily attachable and detachable abrasive or frictional elements possessing long wearing qualities, smoothness of operation, and inexpensive substitution to replace worn elements.

A further object is to provide a power brush embodying soft-friction elements that are readily attachable and detachable to provide a power brush of comparatively inexpensive construction and possessed of long wearing qualities.

A still further object is to provide a power brush having a permanent frame and frictional element deformers that retain the wearing elements in position and enable their ready replacement.

Still afurther object is to provide an improved power brush whereon the wearing cleansing elements are readily replaceable without entailing any appreciable time, expense or skill.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

- In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a power brush embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view in elevation of the power brush shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the power brush shown in Figure 1 with the end abrasive or friction elements removed, this type being employed wherever end cleansing operations are not re-- quired or desirable.

Figure 4 is a side view in elevation of the brush shown in Figure 3 with the end abrasive elements removed.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line V-V of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation taken substantially along line VI--VI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a sectional plan view taken substantially along line VII-VII of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a felt or other friction cleaning element comprising an insert shown along with others in Figures 2 and 4.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of an inner cleansing element deformer and retainer.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of an outer cleansing element deformer and retainer.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of an end friction cleansing element deformer and retainer as shown in Figures 9 and 10.

The structure selected for illustration is not intended to serve as a limitation upon the scope or teachings of the invention, but is merely illustrative thereof. There may be considerable Variations and adaptations of all or part of the teachings depending upon the dictates of commercial practice. The present embodiment comprises an elongated cylindrical axial member such as a tubular shaft m which has circular spacer collars Ill2, in this. instance two, that are axially bored as at l3 for press-fitted connection with the tubular shaft 49 in an desired spaced relation therealong. The circular collars l l-| 2 may vary in number and be diiferently spaced depending upon the size and particularly the length of the friction elements to be supported thereon. The size of the brush will conform to the articles cleansed and will vary within a wide range depending upon the dictation of commercial practice.

The friction elements comprise, in this instance, substantially rectangular strips M (Figure 8) of yieldable soft material, such as felt, cut or otherwise shaped into comparatively thin strips that are self-sustaining and form-retaining in their normally fiat cut lengths. The length of the cleansing strips i l and the number thereof will depend upon the size and requirements of the brush that is to be assembled therewith, and these are adapted for circumferentially spaced mounting around the spacer collars i2l3 for attached support thereon to extend radially therefrom.

In the present embodiment, the strips M of yieldable material are-apertured at l-lfi along a longitudinal median line thereof to register with the spacing of the collars ll-l2 along the axial shaft H1. The yieldable cleansing strips M are retained and deformed to assume a substantially V-shaped configuration in their assembled association with the shaft it by attached mounting to the spacer collars ||l2 thereon. To this end, there is provided a pair of confronting deformer and retainer elements such as metallic cleats 11-1 8 which are of substantially V-shaped configuration and extend for a length corresponding to the length of the cleansing strips [4. The cleats I? are proportionately larger in arouate configuration than the comparatively smaller cleats E8 of similar configuration to retain the felt strips 14 therebetween with substantial edge portions l9-2il protruding from the deformer and retainer cleats il -43.

So that the cleats l'!i3 with the felt strips l4 may be maintained in a pre-formed substantially v-shaped configuration in uniform circumferentially spaced relation to the supporting and spacer collars I l-IZ, aligned apertures 2 i-22 and 23- 24 are provided in the cleats 11-48 respectively, to register with the apertures -46 in the yield able cleansing strips M to enable their assembled association for detachable connection to the mounting spacer collars 11-12 by projecting threaded machine screws 25-2t through the aligned apertures l5-2i23 and lii22-"l in the yieldable cleansing strips i l and their deforming and retainer cleats Fi -it. This provides a plurality of circumferentially spaced cleansing strips l4 having yieldable diverging projecting portions iii-2G to frictio-nally contact the interior surfaces of any suitable device that is to be cleansed therewith, such as milk cans and the like.

So that a brush of this type may be advantageously used for industrial cleansing purposes, the axial shaft H] is usually journalled in a bearing constituting a part of a suitable machine serving to efiect the power rotation thereof through the medium of a spur gear or pinion 21 having a hob 28 through which a set screw 29 projects for connection with the shaft 10. A variety of instrumentalities may be provided depending upon the requirements of any particular installation, and while the circumferentially spaced cleansing strips [4 number six in the present embodiment, this too is capable of a wide range of varieties depending upon diametrical size and the shape of any particular utensils or devices to be cleansed therewith.

In order to cleanse an end surface such as the bottom of a container simultaneously with the interior walls thereof, a plurality of cleansing strips 3l- 32-33, in this instance three, are provided on the free end of the brush preferably though not essentially defined by the spacer collar II. This enables the attachment of a diametrical length of strip 33 which is deformed and retained in substantially U-shaped configuration by confronting cleats -35 having fasteners such as machine screws t63i' in threaded engagement with correspondingly threaded apertures provided in the outer flat surface of the spacer collar ll (Figure 1). It should be noted that the confronting cleats 34-35 are somewhat smaller than the cleansing strip 33 to provide substantially projecting portions 323-49 com-- mensurate with the radially projecting portions iii-2B on the circumferentially spaced side strips M. A pair of cross-end strips 3l-32 consist, in this instance, of shorter lengths of felt material 4fi4i which are held in position by confronting deformer and retainer cleats di -t3 (Figure 6) diametrically aligned and disposed on both sides of the end strip 3-9 in a direction normal thereto for attachment to the outer flat surface of the spacer collar I! by means of machine screws -45 (Figure 1). This will provide for the end cleansing contact of the bottom of the container while the interior wall thereof is cleansed by the yieldable strips M.

In a modified embodiment of the present invention (Figures 3 and 4), an axial shaft It carries spacer collars HI2, the former being disposed so that the confronting cleats ll"--|8 confine short lengths of linear aligned strip segments M which preferably though not essential ly are laminated in character to provide greater flexibility and improved cleansing and wearing qualities. In this embodiment, the end strip segments I4 project beyond the spacer collar II and also the confronting cleats i'l-i3 (Figure 4) to present yieldable end projecting portions that serve to cleanse the corners defined by the merging bottom and interior walls of the container.

It will be apparent, therefore, that bristles of a hair, fibrous, or wood type have been entirely eliminated While the effectiveness and longer wearingqualities have been improved with a less expensive construction. It should also be observed that with the radial and end projecting portions of the strips M-l4', appreciable agitat-' ing of the cleansing fluid will result to the end of deriving more effective cleansing by combining frictional contact and agitation of the cleansing fluid.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it must be understood that the invention is cap-able of considerable variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I. therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims,

I claim:

1. A cleansing device comprising an elongated axial member, spaced peripheral collars on said axial member, confronting rigid arcuate cleats bridging said shoulder members and extending parallel to said elongated axial member, yieldable solid strips of material disposed between said confronting cleats and extending beyond the edges and ends of said cleats to present soft pliable projecting diverging edge portions along the length thereof to form end cleansing brushes, said cleats extending beyond the periphery of said shoulder members, and means for detachably associating said confronting cleats with said yieldable strips therebetween to said shoulder members for unobstructed projection beyond said shoulder members to enable brushing contact with the end surface of an article to be cleaned.

2. A cleansing device comprising an elongated axial member, spaced peripheral collars on said axial member, confronting rigid arcuate cleats bridging said shoulder members, and extending parallel to said elongated axial member, yieldable solid strips of material disposed between said confronting cleats and extending beyond the edges and ends of said cleats to present soft pliable projecting diverging edge portions along the length thereof to form end cleansing brushes, means for detachably associating said yieldable stri s and rigid cleats in assembled relation to said shoulder members, said cleats extending beyond the periphery of said shoulder members,

and means for detachably associating said confronting cleats with said yieldable strips therebetween to said shoulder members for unobstructed projection beyond said shoulder members to enable brushing contact With the end surface of an article to be cleaned.

3. A cleansing device comprising an elongated axial member, spaced peripheral collars on said axial member, confronting rigid arcuate parallel cleats bridging said shoulder members and extending parallel to said elongated axial member in circumferentially spaced relation thereon, yieldable solid strips of material disposed between said confronting cleats and extending beyond the edges and ends of said cleats to present soft pliable projecting edge portions along the length thereof to form end cleansing brushes, said cleats extending beyond the periphery of said shoulder members, and means for detachably associating said confronting cleats with said yieldable strips therebetween to said shoulder members for unobstructed projection beyond said shoulder members to enable brushing contact with the end surface of an article to be cleaned.

CHARLES DOERING.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 986,679 Bowditch Mar. 14, 1911 991,876 Murray May 9, 1911 1,617,838 Fennell Feb. 15, 1927 1,685,406 Kimman Sept. 25, 1928 1,727,627 Appleton Sept. 10, 1929 1,857,240 Dittmar May 10, 1932 

